My reflections after going Zero Waste for a week
A new semester always means adaptation.
One of the biggest changes I’ve undergone is realizing I no longer have time to sit back and watch a show. However, every roadblock has a sidewalk and the alternative I’ve found for a 45-minute episode is YouTube. More recently, I’ve been watching videos on Zero Waste, a concept that emphasizes repurposing or reusing all products.
I cannot get enough of these videos and there seems to be an endless stream of Zero Waste lifestyles to watch. I was immediately inspired and interested by these videos, so I decided to give Zero Waste a try and produce as little trash as I possibly could for one week. I also tried to reduce my use of recyclables because, according to an NPR article I read, as little as five percent of recyclables actually get reused in the U.S.! I began my challenge on Tuesday, Sept. 19. I chose to use my 40-ounce blender as my trash can for the week (it’s broken, by the way), and a Whole Foods bag as my recycling bin.
The first day was actually the easiest for me. I threw a single item away — a sticker off of my apple — and was feeling like the rest of the week would be a breeze. But, the longer I went, the more I seemed to struggle. As I began to use up items in my fridge pantry, the blender began to fill at an alarming rate. I quickly realized the bulk of my trash was coming from food-packaging and plastic bags I use for snacks.
Through this challenge, I also realized how much of what I normally threw away was compostable. I then bought a compost bag from the Campus Environmental Center at the University of Texas and it made all the difference during my Zero Waste week. As someone who follows a plant-based diet, I come up with a lot of food scraps which can easily be composted instead of thrown out, like apple cores, potato peels and pistachio shells. I did some extra research before I started using my compost bag and realized my tea bags, egg cartons and even my toothpicks could be composted!
This got me through the struggle of having a 40-ounce trash can because so much of what I normally discarded was composted instead. As for recyclable items, I became much more conscious of what I could control. I noticed most of my recycling came from the packaging my fruit was in. I can’t necessarily change or control that my store-bought strawberries come in a plastic carton, but I can be aware of it and look for alternatives in the future, like finding a farmer’s market. This way, I can bring a reusable jar for my berries instead.
On the other hand, I found some things I could control. Instead of purchasing a drink from a café using plastic to-go cups, I went to shops using their own glass cups that they wash and reuse.
Throughout the week, I faced a bit of existentialism when I thought about how much waste I produce and how easy it is for me to fill up an entire trash can or recycling bin by myself. Additionally, it showed me how difficult it is to avoid mindlessly producing trash which is then sent off to a landfill. I had to be aware of the choices I was making and even after doing so, my blender was pretty much full and my recycling bag was one item away from toppling over.
I now have an elevated sense of respect for those who inspired me through their Zero Waste YouTube videos. The creators I watch are producing 40 ounces of trash in a year while that’s how much I accumulated in a week. I plan on staying vigilant about my waste production and maybe in the future, I’ll be featured in a Zero Waste YouTube video myself. I think the act of being aware of what waste you’re producing is already a huge step itself. For now, though, I’ll just keep doing the best I can by staying aware of how much trash I produce and I encourage everyone else to do the same.
Photo by Maggie Cragar